Conveyor system and method

A conveyor system for sorting a plurality of objects comprising:

• a main line comprising at least one conveyor for transporting the plurality of objects along the main line;
• at least one diverter for diverting objects off of the main line and to a predetermined location;
• a plurality of lanes arranged in series with one another and capable of receiving objects from the diverter;
• a plurality of peripheral devices associated with at least one of the lanes and operable to facilitate the conveying and sorting of the objects;
• a programmable logic controller in communication with the plurality of peripheral devices;
• and
• a plurality of distribution devices in communication with the programmable logic controller and at least one peripheral device, each distribution device including a plurality of ports for receiving respective cables therein, wherein at least one cable couples the programmable logic controller and each distribution device, and at least one cable couples each peripheral device to a respective distribution device, and wherein each of the cables are releasably coupled.

A method of controlling a conveyor system comprising:

• providing an elongated movement surface and a plurality of lanes, said lanes intersecting said elongated movement surface and arranged in series for transporting goods from a start point to a plurality of end points corresponding to each of the lanes;
• installing at least one peripheral device proximate to at least one of the lanes;
• connecting at least one peripheral cable from the at least one peripheral device to a distribution device;
• connecting a primary cable from a programmable logic controller to the distribution device;
• detecting a conveyor state of at least one lane through the at least one peripheral device;
• transmitting the conveyor state data from the at least one peripheral device to the programmable logic controller through the distribution device;
• processing an operational command in the programmable logic controller in response to the conveyor state data received from the at least one peripheral device;
• transmitting the operational command from the programmable logic controller to the at least one peripheral device through the distribution device;
• and
• performing an operation on the at least one lane to facilitate the transportation of the goods corresponding to the at least one lane to the respective end point.